Hello everyone. I'm new to the forum, as well as Hobies, but I just recently purchased a used Hobie 16 and had a question for the group:

I am currently sailing my Hobie 16 at Lake Mead in Nevada, off a cement ramp boat launch with a pier. I will be often be sailing solo, which will require that I launch the boat and tie it to the pier while I go park my car and trailer. It seems rather precarious to trust in the wind keeping my tethered 16 from rocking against the leeward side of the pier. The solution would seem to be placing a fender along the side of the windward hull and running bow and stern (and maybe spring?) lines for times I need to leave the boat alone.

Thus far, I have found only a little information regarding fending/docking catamarans. I was considering one of West Marine's "Big B" fenders and running a line through it from the front and back windward trampoline bases -- tensing the line to suspend it under the tramp while sailing and relaxing it to rest on the side of the hull when at the pier.

Launching off a concrete ramp is kind of difficult with beach cats. You sure there isn't any grass or sand near the ramp that you could pull the boat up onto?

I once launched at a concrete ramp that wasn't busy. I brought some carpet with me and rigged the boat while it was sitting on the carpet at the bottom of the ramp. Then I just slid it off the carpet into the water, threw the carpet off to the side, and sailed away. Retrieval was a little more difficult.

Welcome to beach cat sailing. As Zach said, there is not much you can do. If you trust those around you to not steal your fenders, you can do as you said, but toss it/them on shore when you leave. There is not much room to stow them when underway.

It's not just cats that have that problem with docks. I recently sailed to the marina wher I bought my Honda motor to buy oil for the ten hour maint. I hung around for a while with the TI docked at the marina, then I went home not thinking anything of it. A few days later I looked at the AMA and it is scratched almost beyond recognition from the barnicles on the dock. Oops, I imagine something like that would do a nasty on an h16 just as bad. I have no desire to hang those bumpers they use on powerboats over the side of my boat. TI's and cats are so low they might not help anyway.

Thank you for all the replies! Turns out there is an area of small rocks to the side of the pier. Not ideal, as I'm sure this would reap havoc on the underside of the hulls over time, but may be an alternative. Boulder beach isn't to far away, so I might look into potentially launching from there...

Good ole Lake Mead, sailed there countless times tho it was 30 years ago. Back then the lake level was up to max level give and take. Amazing how low it is now. Same problems tho. Rocks!

FWIW I most always launched at Hemingway I think it's called. 1st road on the right once in park coming out of Boulder City direction. It was covered with chunkies as well for most part. Find yourself 2 old tires, light as possible helps. Stand mast while boats on trailer. Put the tires about half submerged, maybe a bit more in water at shore. Back trailer in water beside tire location, pull off boat into the water, swing her around and pull or back her hulls onto the properly positioned tires. Play with it and you'll find the right positioning. Raise your sails, check your rigging and push off. It works very well. You do get some black scuffing on keels but no rock damage. Many of us did it.

Dangerous lake when the extremely gusty and shifty winds kick in. Don't get caught out there alone! Always watch your boat on shore just in case the wind kicks in from opposite direction. A few times saw a cat take off out on lake all by itself just a flyin! It was hell to catch with another boat too.

Hope this cures your issues. Sail a reach around Boulder Islands for me just for old time sake!

I like to tie up at a public dock to go have a beer break in the middle of my sailing day, so I have a similar problem. I keep a couple of lines in one of my cubbies on my Getaway, and I have 2 flat foam fenders I bought from West Marine that I tie down the middle of the tramp while we sail. I try to find a slip so the wind pushes the boat away from the dock, but the fenders are just in case. So far it seems to work.